부산대학교 도서관

Critical cultural scholars believe racialized inscriptions involving black athletes can be seen popularly through hyper-mediated events, narratives, and the discussion that surrounds them. Such is the case of LeBron James, whose 2010 "The Decision" television program remains a strong frame in which to view race, sports, entertainment, and mediated discourse in the 21st century. We argue, however, that perspective is needed to investigate the extent to which inscriptions last upon black superstar athletes once spectacles fade in time. We use the career of LeBron James to illustrate that inscriptions still hold covert power upon audiences and even subjects like James. Thus, this study applies Boyd's (1997) Good/Bad Negro Paradigm to LeBron James' career to illustrate the ideological power of scripting. The inscription o f the Good/Bad Negro Paradigm upon James highlights that identities ascribed to black men continue to be narrow and controlling. Furthermore, LeBron James' journey through these polarizing scripts are contextualized to illustrate how black athletes are constructed for public consumption. In contrast to other black athletes whose shift to a "good" characterization took a lifetime to achieve, James' scripting (from "good, " to "bad, " and back to "good") takes place within a few years, which magnifies the hegemonic power of mediated discourse in constructing racial identities in sport. While beloved for returning and winning in Cleveland, James' journey towards good graces ultimately fulfills the expectations of the scripts placed upon him. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]